


Life Orb

by Sarcastic_Metaphor



Series: RaiLeon One Shots [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: But mostly fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Raihan being a good boyfriend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-24 23:22:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22006162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarcastic_Metaphor/pseuds/Sarcastic_Metaphor
Summary: It had been almost half a year since he lost his title. He was moving on, or trying to. But there were still pictures of him everywhere. On magazines in waiting rooms, on posters at train stations, framed in hallways of stadiums.But that wasn’t him anymore.((Or, Leon is doing his best to move on from being Champion, but Galar isn’t letting him.))
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Series: RaiLeon One Shots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1578640
Comments: 20
Kudos: 310





	Life Orb

**Author's Note:**

> I was just in the mood for some more fluff so yeah,
> 
> please enjoy!

Leon stared at the old poster of himself. It was plastered to the wall of the Wyndon train station, his trademark pose and smile only slightly faded from sunlight.

Leon hated it.

It had been almost half a year since he lost his title. He was moving on, or trying to. But there were still pictures of him  _ everywhere.  _

On magazines in waiting rooms, on posters at train stations, framed in hallways of stadiums. But that wasn’t him anymore. Certainly, Leon enjoyed his time as Champion while he had it. It was undoubtedly the happiest period of his life. 

But it was in the past now. He had a new job running the Battle Tower. He had a new outfit and new Pokemon and a new  _ life _ but no one seemed to care. 

When fans saw him in stores or on the street, they still called him  _ Champion _ Leon. Even worse, when his name was mentioned on news stations or the radio, they called him former Champion Leon.

Not Battle Tower trainer, not Battle Tower  _ manager, _ and not even League manager (because Leon was now helping run the League in Rose’s absence).

The title he once held still followed him everywhere. And Leon hated it. He hated imagining what he could be again, if he tried hard enough to beat the new Champion. (And he also hated the alternative, that he truly wasn’t good enough to beat them.) Leon was still a competitor at heart. He loved a good challenge, and until very recently, hadn’t known the taste of defeat. He thought he was getting better at accepting losses, but even after not being Champion for months, he was still being reminded of his defeat wherever he went.

He had to admit, it still hurt a little. But maybe his weekend trip to visit Raihan would soothe this hollow feeling in his chest. 

Leon’s attention turned to the train pulling into the station. He hadn’t been able to see his boyfriend in person for a while now, at least a few months. He had just been so busy with the Battle Tower, but he finally had some free time now. Leon boarded the train, triple checking that it was the right one, then texted Raihan to let him know he was on his way.

When the train pulled into Hammerlocke, Leon saw Raihan waiting for him. He smiled, grabbing his rolling suitcase and hurrying off the train. Leon was dressed in loose pants and a dark hoodie, long hair swept over one shoulder. Very much not his famous uniform or usual look. 

Raihan smiled at him, leaning down to press a light kiss to Leon’s cheek. “Hey, babe. Missed you.”   
  
Lord, hearing him in person was so much better than over video calls. Leon couldn’t resist laughing softly.

“Missed you, too.”

They walked out of the train station, a few pairs of eyes following them. They were probably Hammerlocke locals surprised to see Raihan. Or that was what Leon was hoping for. 

On the way to Raihan’s flat, Leon saw a billboard plastered with his boyfriend’s smiling face, advertising some energy drink. He nudged Raihan’s side and snickered. 

“I’m so happy I don’t have to do brand deals anymore.”   
  
Raihan snorted. “What? No one wants the face of the Battle Tower advertising their cologne or shaving cream?”

Leon rolled his eyes. “Oh, they do. I just turn them all down.”

“Wait, really?” Raihan’s smile faded a little. “Why?”   
  
Leon shrugged, avoiding meeting Raihan’s gaze. “I’m just tired of looking at myself.”   
  
Leon wasn’t going to tell Raihan, but sometimes he wished he could just… not be himself. It’d make his life so much easier. 

After arriving at Raihan’s flat, Leon let himself relax a little. He and Raihan got lunch together, saw a movie, and curled up on the couch at night after some homemade curry. Raihan was running his fingers through Leon’s hair absentmindedly. It was only eight o’clock, but Leon could’ve fallen asleep while snuggled against Raihan’s chest. 

“Hey, babe?”   
  
“Hm?” Leon said without opening his eyes. 

“What’d you mean when you said you didn’t like seeing yourself?”   
  
“Huh?” Leon opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbow. “What do you mean?”

Raihan shrugged. “Did you just mean it like you’re tired of doing brand deals, or...?”   
  
_ “Or?” _ Leon repeated.

Raihan stared at him. “I don’t know, you just seemed like you didn’t want to talk about it. But it doesn’t actually bother you, right?”

Leon didn’t answer for a second. 

Raihan sat up. “Leon?”

He shrugged, sitting up as well. Leon started twisting a lock of his hair in his hands. 

“It’s hard to talk about. I just… I don’t know, hate being reminded that I used to be Champion.”   
  
“Oh.”   


Leon tried to smile. “It’s pretty stupid, right? I mean, I was Champion for over ten years. People aren’t going to forget that anytime soon.”

Raihan’s gaze was indecipherable.

“I don’t think it’s stupid.” He said, “You’re trying to move on with your life, but it’s hard, right?”   
  
Leon bit his lip and nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t blame them though. Moving on won’t be easy.”

Leon was famous. So was Raihan. For better or for worse, wherever they went, Leon and Raihan were going to be recognized. 

Raihan studied him for a moment, tucking a lock of stray hair behind Leon’s ear.    
  
“Would it maybe be easier if you started doing advertisements as part of the Battle Tower? In your new uniform, too?”   
  
“...Probably.” Leon admitted. 

But the idea of seeing himself plastered everywhere again made his skin crawl. He didn’t want to see who he was now compete with who he used to be. Leon just wanted to  _ be _ the new him. 

A thought occurred to him. Maybe he should try doing something a little more drastic with his appearance. Leon laughed a little. “What if I cut off my hair?”

It was a joke, but it made Raihan’s eyes go wide.   
  
“No!” Raihan said, carding through Leon’s hair, “Babe, I love your hair! And you’ve been growing it out for years!”   
  
Leon was a little surprised by how strongly Raihan was reacting. But he kind of liked it.

Yes, it was true that he enjoyed having long hair. But it was getting to a length where it was getting tangled more easily, and was getting a little harder to care for than Leon would like. Maybe it was time for a change.

“Babe? Leon?” Raihan asked, “Are you actually serious about your hair?”   
  
Leon smiled,  _ “Maybe.” _

He gathered up his hair and held it back. “How do you think I’d look with short hair?”

Raihan stared at him for a moment. His gaze softened, and he pressed a kiss to Leon’s lips. 

“I think you’d look good no matter what.”

Leon let go of his hair, and Raihan carded his fingers through it again. He said, “And I think I’ll get over it, eventually.”

Leon smiled and kissed him back.

“Thanks, Rai.”   


* * *

Two weeks later, Leon unintentionally broke the internet when he featured in an advertisement for the Battle Tower wearing his new uniform. And to complement his new look, Leon debuted his new undercut. 

Raihan insisted on waiting until the official promotional material to see Leon’s hair. And when he did, he sent Leon a text that was five solid lines of pink heart emojis followed by,

**Raihan:** BABE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Raihan:** OMFG

**Raihan** : YOU LOOK SO GOOD OH ARCEUS I’M DYING BABE PLEASE SEND ME PICS NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leon pressed his hand to his mouth, smiling behind it. He snapped a quick selfie and sent it to Raihan.

**Leon:** So you like it?

**Raihan:** YES OH GOD LEON PLEASE YOU LOOK SO FUCKING HOT DAKLFDSJFDSKJFDJLDJFDKJFJDF

Leon snorted. He ran his hand over the back of his head, still not quite used to the feeling of not having long hair anymore. But he was happy with it, and what it was doing for him. 

People were talking about visiting the Battle Tower. They were talking about Leon, not as the former Champion, but as the Tower’s manager and as one of its trainers. But best of all, when Leon saw screenshots of himself online, he didn’t recoil from it. That was the new him, and people were acknowledging it! 

Honestly, Leon should’ve done this so much sooner.


End file.
